Broccoli seedlings, happy in their bigger homes!

This week at the farm, we are transplanting seedlings into bigger pots so they get stronger in the greenhouse before we put them in the ground. It got me thinking about life, and creative life especially.

When we transplant the seedlings, we give them new and better nutrients, their roots have more room to spread, and they thrive very quickly. At first, they look too small in their new home and they flop over because of the shock of the change. But after a day, some water, and some sun, they stand right up, ready to grow!

Think about your life and your creative practices. Do you need ‘transplanting’ so you can stretch your roots and grow? How about some new ‘nutrients’? Are you giving yourself enough ‘water’ and ‘sun’ and taking care of yourself?

The metaphor can only take us so far, I suppose. But it’s worth looking at how you might be limiting yourself, what you wish you had more of in your life, and whether you are looking after yourself in ways that are good for you.

This isn’t about taking a huge leap from a little starter pot into a giant planter. Just the next size up.

Maybe it means that you take the next tiny step towards that dream you’ve always had - or you allow yourself to even consider it at all. Or you unsubscribe from the news on social media and go to bed earlier. Or you stand in the sun and breathe for a minute or two.

For me, the nutrients I want to add in my life are adventure, curiosity, and trust. I’m looking after myself by going outside every day, playing piano, and drinking good tea with milk - simple things that nurture me. These days, I feel like a newly transplanted seedling, ready to grow!

What do you think? Are your roots feeling a little cramped? Or are you in a new and bigger pot, and feeling a bit shocked? What’s one small thing you can do today to help yourself grow?

How often do you just PLAY? Not just play in the sense of playing a piece of music or an instrument, but in a childlike way, with curiosity and experimentation and unpredictability?

For me, it’s not often enough. In fact, it’s something I’d like to actively do more of in my life. Just throw things out there and edit it later! (…I say as I keep writing sentences and deleting them…)

One of my favourite authors/bloggers/artists is Austin Kleon. In his most recent book, Keep Going*, he writes:

All children learn about the world through play. … Their best play, however, is acted out with a kind of lightness and detachment from their results.
Play is the work of the child, and it is also the work of the artist. … The great artists are able to retain this sense of playfulness throughout their careers.
Art and the artist both suffer most when the artist gets too heavy, too focused on results. … If you’ve lost your playfulness, practice for practice’s sake.

I like that: practice for practice’s sake. Enjoy the process of doing the thing without worrying about perfecting the thing. Play, play play.

Curiosity is one of the other important parts of Play. To be curious about what might happen when we try something, or when we take a chance. To listen to the ‘what ifs’ and trust them and ourselves enough to actually act on them, regardless of what the result may (or may not) be.

After many months of having no[t much] motivation to do creative things, I’ve finally come back around to musical Play. I had the idea to make a recording in a nearby park. So I did it! It’s not for any bigger purpose or project other than making something.

Now that I’ve done something, I’ll do something else, and something else again. And then who knows what I might do!

How can you bring some Play into your days? What can you do just for the sake of doing it and enjoying it and seeing what happens?

*I highly recommend Austin Kleon’s writing - blog and books - for all creative folks (or really, anyone). His books are Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work and Keep Going, and his weekly newsletter always has really good brain candy.